Leap Motion sensor offers 3D gesture control at an affordable price

Leap is now taking pre-orders for its Leap Motion sensor, a USB accessory that enables full control of your PC or Mac using simple hand and finger gestures. The company claims that its product is the most accurate gesture sensor available, and it costs only US$70.

As you can see, the Leap sensor is quite small, making it portable enough to throw into a laptop bag when traveling. Despite its small size, Leap claims that its device is 200 times more accurate than competitors such as Kinect for Windows. This raises a few questions, as Leap has not specified what technology powers its sensor. However, the company has stated that its device uses tech unlike anything else available.

Leap believes its sensor has an infinite number of uses. For starters there's basic PC navigation, controlling an operating system with your hands and fingers, and never touching a mouse or keyboard. There's also the potential for Leap to make a splash with PC gaming – thanks to the Leap API, developers can integrate Leap Motion controls in their games as they build them.

Strengthening the appeal of the Leap Motion sensor is its price, at $70. Thanks to the low entry cost, Leap has the potential to catch fire if the actual product lives up to the hype that its demo video has created. Leap is currently recruiting thousands of developers to ensure that its sensor will have plenty of applications available on launch day – which is anticipated to be in December of 2012 or January of 2013.